To: Chief Executives in England and Wales (N Ireland for information only)\
(with copies for HR Director & Finance Director and DLO Manager)\
Regional Directors

12 August 2015

Dear Chief Executive,

**NJC JOB EVALUATION SCHEME:**\
**CRAFTWORKER MODEL ROLE PROFILES**

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**Important Background**

The NJC’s Job Evaluation Technical Working Group (JETWG) comprises representatives from UNISON, GMB, Unite, the LGA (advised by a practitioner from a local authority), a consultant from Pilat HR Solutions (with regard to the computerised version of the Scheme) and an Independent JE Technical Advisor.

JETWG was tasked by the NJC Joint Secretaries to produce the attached model role profiles for Craftworker jobs in local authorities. UCATT declined an invitation to participate in the Group’s work.

JETWG produced the model role profiles and hoped to issue them under cover of a joint circular signed by the National Joint Secretaries of the Employers, UNISON, GMB and Unite. However, Unite has now informed us that it is not prepared to sign off the profiles as it does not agree that the model role profiles, “…are the appropriate mechanism or indeed direction of travel to achieve what we all agree must be the real shared objective; a robust equal pay structure for local government Craftworkers.”

The National Employers are disappointed that Unite [and UCATT] is opposed to signing off the model role profiles but have decided nonetheless to issue them as we believe that you will find them useful in evaluating Craftworker jobs with a view to assimilating them into your existing pay and grading structures, as well as reducing any risk of Craftworkers being cited as comparators in an equal pay claim.

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1. **Purpose of the Model Role Profiles**

1.1 As previously notified in the consultation circular dated 27 February 2015, which set out the rationale and background, I now attach Craftworker model role profiles that have been evaluated under the NJC Job Evaluation Scheme. 1.2 These profiles are advisory rather than prescriptive. They have been developed to help users of the NJC JE Scheme to achieve consistency, transparency and fairness in:

- Benchmarking Craftworker roles which have not undergone job evaluation if the exercise is still underway
- Helping organisations who are reorganising Craftworker provision or dealing with grading queries and appeals
- Assisting organisations in developing roles that fit local circumstances to ensure that they are evaluated appropriately
- Illustrating career pathways for Craftworkers

1.3 Users of other job evaluation schemes should be able to read the profiles across to their scheme.

1.4 The Employers are aware that these profiles may be of interest to ALMOs and other such organisations. As the NJC JE Scheme is copyrighted, permission to use the scheme needs to be sought from the NJC Joint Secretaries.

2. Craftworker Model Role Profiles

2.1 Some jobs are not specific to every organisation; the NJC’s Job Evaluation Technical Working Group (JETWG) has concentrated its resources on evaluating 14 of the most common types of Craftworker roles. Most of the roles have been categorised as ‘Newly Qualified’, ‘Experienced’ and ‘Chargehand’ in order to reflect the different skills and responsibilities required at each stage of a Craftworker’s career.

2.2 The roles evaluated by JETWG are:

- Bricklayer
- Electrician
- Glazier
- Joiner / Carpenter
- Labourer
- Labourer / Driver
- Mechanical Fitter
- Painter Decorator
- Paviour
- Plasterer
- Plumber
- Plumber Heating Engineer
- Roofer
- Team Leader

2.3 JETWG has amended and evaluated the profiles to cover both the paper and computerised (‘Gauge’™) versions of the scheme. 3. **Content of the Model Role Profiles**

3.1 The profiles comprise:

- The role title and the purpose of the role
- Responsibilities – split into key duties and additional duties that may also be undertaken
- Indicative knowledge, skills and experience
- The job evaluation assessment – each factor accompanied by relevant job information and level as assessed against the job evaluation factor plan

4. **Use of Craftworker Model Role Profiles**

4.1 These profiles **ARE**:

- Statements of typical Craftworker roles with associated NJC factor evaluations
- Indicative evaluations of the job information described to allow employers and unions to compare their own evaluations with these generic ones

4.2 These profiles **ARE NOT**:

- Intended to replace existing job descriptions
- Requirements or recommendations on how employers should organise Craftworker staff
- Intended as ‘ready reckoners’ that allows a read across from points’ scores into grade boundaries. Pay structures are a separate issue.

4.3 The NJC model role profiles should be regarded as **guidance** only. Job evaluation is conducted by individual organisations and the job evaluation scores produced depend on local job descriptions, conventions, specifications and local application of the JE scheme. It is therefore possible for a job in one organisation to have a lower job evaluation score than an obviously similar job in another organisation. It is also possible for jobs with similar job evaluation scores to be on different salary scales in the different organisations. This is the effect of local pay and grading structures.

5. **GAUGE™**

5.1 Craftworker jobs can be evaluated using software (‘Gauge™’) provided by Pilat HR Solutions. The web-based software now incorporates all updates to the NJC’s 13-factor scheme as agreed by JETWG in 2013. These updates include changes to the general factor guidance notes, and to the ‘Help Text’ attached to factors, which are used to help ensure consistency when job analysts are evaluating jobs using Gauge™.

5.2 Additionally, Pilat HR Solutions will add the Craftworker model role profiles (evaluated under the NJC JE Scheme) to the Gauge™ website as a ‘Source of Reference’ for organisations. Pilat clients will be able to ‘read across’ from job ‘overviews’ produced by web-based Gauge™ to the generic roles profiles produced by JETWG.

5.3 For further information on Gauge™ and any queries relating specifically to its operation (as opposed to general JE queries) please email Denis Crowe at dcrowe@pilat.com or visit www.pilat.com

6. Further Information

6.1 If you have any technical questions about using the model role profiles and model job evaluations please email job_evaluation_enquiries@local.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

Sarah Messenger Employers’ Secretary